Politicians, economists and business leaders are eternally engaged in the search for the Holy Grail that will deliver economic growth. They broadly agree that the secret to Europe’s economic success in future must be more investment in education. But there is little agreement on what type of investment is needed to make a country’s educational system more effective in delivering economic growth and decent jobs for young people.
Parents need to look at vocational education as a perfectly acceptable career path- John Cassar White
Why are countries like Germany and Switzerland more successful economically than France and the UK? The reason could lie in the different approach that these countries give to vocational education. The French educational system “looks down on vocational training perpetuating the notion that intellectual jobs are more worthy than manual work,” says Jerome Frantz, chairman of the Federation des Industries Mechaniques.
“For years there has been a deep hatred in the education system regarding manufacturing, which was ideological. People did not want to work in manufacturing anymore, as they’ve been told that plants were going to China.”
Switzerland and Germany take a very different view on the value of vocational education. In Switzerland, about 65 per cent of 15- to 19-year-olds obtain apprenticeships compared with just six per cent in England. These apprenticeships usually last three or four years. Students, on average, spend three days a week at the workplace and two days studying at a college – “a combination that makes them highly employable”. Unlike many other Europeans, the perceptions of the Swiss and Germans of vocational education are very positive. “They are considered real professionals ...the school and work experience form a solid basis of theoretical and practical skills.”
As long as people feel that vocational education is inferior to academic training, we will continue to have disappointing failures in students’ achievements.
Parents need to look at vocational education as a perfectly acceptable career path for all students and not just those who find academic learning unattractive. When technical schools were closed down some years ago, a vacuum was created in our educational system. That has to some extent been filled by MCAST which remains our most effective vehicle to give vocational education the high status that it deserves.
The challenges ahead for vocational education in Malta are formidable but they can all be won. One critical success factor is more employer engagement.
Employers need to be more involved in assessing the vocational education and training curricula of courses allowing them to match curriculum content with the needs of the labour market. They should also be more generous in offering meaningful apprenticeship programmes to school leavers who are interested in continuing their studies in the vocational sector.
The education authorities need to focus more on upgrading the quality of vocational education courses. The debate on grade inflation that is currently raging in the UK needs to be raised also in Malta as grade inflation devalues the educational qualifications offered by our schools and colleges. We also need to offer more guidance to students on the value of courses on offer and the likelihood of job opportunities that these courses provide. Perhaps the time is right to provide fewer but more marketable courses that open more doors to employment.
To sharpen the effectiveness of our vocational education system we need a more systematic and intensive effort to identify and assist potential dropouts before and at entry into vocational programmes. While the students’ stipend system needs to be reinforced, we need to acknowledge that in some cases it is the only factor that is attracting certain vulnerable students to continue with their education. We also need to tackle the correlates of educational risk: family structure and poverty, economic displacement and juvenile delinquency.
The building of a new campus for MCAST should boost the image of vocational education. More activities aimed at enhancing the college’s climate will reduce student absenteeism and improve their motivation. These activities should also include campaigns to create systematic awareness and educational activities directed towards enhancing parents’ involvement in programme planning and support. Vocational education students may be adults, but if parents are involved on a purely voluntary basis we could ensure that family support for these students will be reinforced.
Educators who work in the coalface of our vocational education system need to be involved in all stages of planning and execution of educational strategies if we want vocational education to become an effective engine of economic growth.
johncassarwhite@yahoo.com